Art & creativity, History & heritage  |  Yesterday

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The architectural plans of some of the city’s most significant commercial and public buildings have been carefully preserved for future generations.

The plans are included in the Christchurch City Council Archives, with records dating back to the beginning of local government in 1862. 

“The collection, which consists of over 4500 plans, is now available to search online,” says Archivist Annabel Armstrong-Clarke.

“It includes plans for many commercial and public buildings, mostly in the central city, including the Municipal Council Chambers, Christchurch Town Hall, New Regent Street, theatres and commercial buildings dating from 1881-2004. This collection is significant because it reflects a Christchurch that has changed so much, capturing the history of our city.”

Ms Armstrong- Clarke says it is fortunate the plans still exist.

“The plans originally came to the Council as part of the consent process – with the earliest dating back to the No 1 Pumphouse in 1881. The collection was originally curated by heritage planner Jenny May, who realised the long-term value of the plans and saved them from being destroyed around the time of the 1989 amalgamation of local authorities in Christchurch.”

For many years the collection was maintained by the Heritage Team in a variety of repurposed map cabinets and moved between several different Council facilities. The collection then transitioned into the Christchurch City Council Archives in early 2018 and is now stored in an appropriate archival storage facility. It continues to grow as additional physical plans are added.

Ms Armstrong-Clarke says there is a commercial and public building focus to the collection, although some residential buildings of notable or prominent design are included along with listed buildings, plans by key architects and designs that possess noteworthy features. 

“Since 2022, we have gradually been purchasing new cabinets to rehouse the drawings. During this time the collection has also been described and catalogued, allowing for the first time public access to the full list of what is available.”

In collaboration with Christchurch City Libraries some of the plans in the collection have been digitised, with still more to come.

Search the collection online via ArchivesSpace, explore the digitised plans or learn more at Christchurch City Council Archives : Christchurch City Council